…how does that compare to the Witches World Champs XC downhill bits?

I know they’re both ‘red’ as far as NR are concerned, so would someone who could ride the latter quite happily be ok to have a shot on the Nevis Red?

a lot harder than the witches trail. It’s pretty relentless with only the boardwalk sections for breathers and the very bottom more trail centre stuff. As an XC trail I think it should be a black personally. Absolutely brilliant trail though.

The Nevis DH red is completely different to the XC,a lot harder with lots of Northshore and steep gnarly sections. Being able to do the Witches trail does not set you up for the DH IMO

Bob + 1.

Hard going, but brilliant. Take your time the first time you do it, keep to the wee red dots. Once you get your mojo, you can pick different lines.

Edit – it’s never a red in a million years, I heard a story (might be pish, but who knows?!) that it was a commercial decision to label it red, to attract the crowds in. Everything is rollable, and the rock is very grippy, so you can pick your way down steep bits, if you have to.

I’ll go up with a mate who used to work there, he ought to know where to point 🙂

My colleague popped up there the day after he picked up his CTW £600 Trek, and only fell off once on the way down!

EDIT – rollable appeals more than flying

Thegman, I’m pretty sure he is on about the Red and NOT the World Cup DH course,

There’s nothing to worry up there as has been said, it’s all rollable and it’s not Gnarly at all, just try and stay focused, it gets a bit boring trundling over the wood after a few runs, I found myself wandering off with the fairies.

It’s not North Shore it’s a wooden board walk, and it’s no way black, there’s nothing on there that would grade it as a Black or have I been riding the wrong run ? There’s no gaps, no drops and there’s never been elevated North Shore, no see saws no ladders, no North Shore.

You will fine, when are you going ?

I love it but is it bollocks a red- I can only think of a couple of UK blacks that compare in difficulty. I went up just before the official opening when no word had got out about the challenge and it was covered in casualties, folks who thought glentress red or the witches trails would be the same. The reality is it’s closer to the world cup than the witches trails.

Not that I want you to be put off- I’d done a couple of blacks when I first rode it but I wasn’t an experienced or particularily skilled rider. I was out of my depth but not dangerously so, it just needed a lot of caution- the consequences of failure are high and there’s plenty of places to go wrong.

But it is great, and still unique in the uk.

(ps, it’s not a “red dh”, it’s graded, waymarked and signposted as a red XC trail.)

when are you going

Nothing planned, but it’s not far from home and we go up to NR fairly regularly, just wondering about trying it after my mates effort!

In what way do you find it difficult ? And how can you compare a singletrack run where your tyres stay planted on terra firma to World Cup DH Course,
And if no one new about it how were their casualties everywhere.

I’m not trying to play one upmanship here but by son has ridden down it on a kids hardtail Cube bike.
We are either talking about a completely different run here or they have altered it massively in the last 12 months.

They have put two rock shoots in at Sherwood Pines bigger than anything there and there’s a bigger drop in Dalby than there as we’ll. I’m sure it would be in Scotland’s interest to grade it black and have that feather in the cap than have yet another Red, it’s not black, just because it’s got an uplift doesent count as black either.

If it were 35K+ it might be a black but it’s not. It’s Red.

I’m going to be up at some point over the next 3 week ends, tried this afternoon but no accommodation anywhere, will be with the mrs & kid so need a hotel, everything’s fully booked.

Don’t want to leave it too long as it will shutting shortly, I’ll keep you posted and and if it works out I’ll have a few runs down with you,

discoduck – Member

In what way do you find it difficult ? And how can you compare a singletrack run where your tyres stay planted on terra firma to World Cup DH Course,

How do I compare it? By riding both and comparing them 😕 And then, I compare it with other red and black routes by riding them and comparing those too. How else?

I don’t find it particularily difficult- I did, the first time, but enjoyable still. Now it’s a thing to charge down inbetween runs of the dh. But that doesn’t mean I can’t weigh it up against other trails, or remember what it was like to ride it as a relative noob.

discoduck – Member

And if no one new about it how were their casualties everywhere.

I think you’re deliberately misunderstanding tbh, but just in case… lots of people knew about it, it was well publicised for months in advance. It was actually busier that weekend than I’ve ever seen it since. But few people had ridden it so lots of people assumed it was just another red, and then discovered it’s not. Some of them with their faces. Lots of pushing of offbeat hire hardrocks.

35K?. How many dh runs do you know that are 35K?. It’s way more techy than anything on the GT black, I’ll need to go ride sherwood pines, sounds like it’s off the scale! 😆

Perhaps it’s one UK example of grading thats similar to France. I.e. French blue trails approach our blacks!

Thanks discoduck, much appreciated.

iirc,the world’s xc route is great fun with chicken runs where it gets “interesting ”

I actually find the red more challenging than the World Cup course, it’s longer and steeper and IMO it makes you think a lot more, don’t get me wrong the WC is brutal in places but you get more chances of a breather to compose yourself

Well I hope that the DH red (or the red that starts at the same point as the World Cup DH) is better than either the 10 under the Ben or the WC XC routes both of which I thought were generally tedious apart from a couple of short sections that were completely out of character with the rest of the ride. The TUTB route was green/blue apart from Nessie.

Miles better dunmail.

Glad to hear it 😛 How does it compare with say Wolftrax red difficulty wise?

I quite like the world champs course, it has character… But yeah, the waymarked 10utb route is terrible. You can do the first wee bit of singletrack as a loop from the car park and just double back at the end, and you can do Nessie and the Cackle as part of the Witches xc with a wee diversion, and that’s basically all there is that’s worth riding in the entire fireroad loop.

(oh- it’s not at all like the 10UTB race loops I’ve done or seen, so don’t be put off that)

Has anyone done the new descents from the puggy line?

Harder than the Laggan reds – the rocks are unrelenting on the Nevis red middle section, and bigger and steeper than anything red at Laggan (except Airs rock). Have never done the Laggan black, but from what I’ve seen that might be a better comparision?

[video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5noqFX8O4iA[/video]

Guy doing it on a HT, gives a reasonable view of how lumpy it is. The boardwalk isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s a means to an end, gets you across a bloody big bog, and once you’ve got used to it, there’s a few cracking opportunities to get wheels off the ground.

I’ve watched quite a few vids, they never quite show the steepness, inevitably I suppose. Looks fun though.

Northwind, I’m sorry but the two courses bare no resemblance except from the fact that you start at the top in same place and ride it on a bike.
If you can rattle down that red at the same speeds as the DH track hats off to you, the wooded forest section in the middle of the DH course with the roots I found more technical than anything on the red, likewise the jumps and drops, not seen them on the red.

@nobeerinthefridge, that’s the point there aren’t any that’s 35k, IF it was then you could maybe forgive them for grading it black because of the length.

I thought it was technical in places and there’s no doubt been a few casualties but in my opinion you can’t grade a trail based on people’s stupidity and in ability to ride a bike without damaging themselves, riding on wooden boardwalk for the most part will be a first for quite a few who ride up there and I’ve found that switching off on there and then comming back onto rock catches out the un wary but that’s what biking is all about.

Just out of interest how would you grade Cut Gate pass IF it were a trail centre, just interested as it’s not smooth and sculptured either.

discoduck – Member

Northwind, I’m sorry but the two courses bare no resemblance

Yeah, that thing about intentionally misunderstanding again… We were talking about difficulty, not style.

World cup woods isn’t open to the public so doesn’t come into it. Unless you mean the bit after the wallride but it doesn’t sound like it.

I think it’s more like black than red too. To use Laggan as a nearby comparison I’d say it lies just below the difficulty of Laggan black.

There isn’t any compulsory air, but the high consequence nature of the steeper rock sections nudges it away from red for me. Can’t think of any other red routes that I’d recommend elbow/knee pads as strongly for.

All that being said, the beauty of it is that you can do it several times in a day so there’s much more scope for learning the trail well. The first time I rode it I found the steeper sections fairly intimidating but was rattling down them happily by the end of the day, feeling like a hero.

I’ve done cut gate in both directions, really enjoyed it too, but it’s nowhere near as techy as Nevis red. I don’t really judge ‘natural’ type trails on a grading system tbh.

You come across as having your opinion and sticking to it, whatever, which is fair enough, but someone has come on here asking about the trail in question, and to tell them it’s a breeze without knowing their riding abilities and what type of trails they ride, is a bit irresponsible.

Nevis red is tougher than GT black, Kirro black, and miles tougher than any trail centres south of the border, so that’s why I’d advise the OP that it is more of a black grading.

Edit – to the OP – Stevious + 1

OK, then in that case OP, Its very Dangerous it’s just like the World Cup course but in fact it’s actually harder, wear a full face helmet knee pads back protector and some elbow pads too. *

*NOT based on my own experience

Instead of treating you like a kitten in kid gloves I apologise for giving you my own views on it and should have given it big licks and treated you like a newbie, I could have compared it to the WORLD CUP course but unfortunately Northwind is comparing it the none World Cup course that’s predominantly closed, my mistake as I thought he had actually ridden the course with the gap jump and all and was actually likening it to a roll down a hill side.

I too think its black now because I’ve ridden it and it makes me look better than you.

There, does that bode better with the STW ethos of holier than thou status above all others,
I might even re instate my subscription so I get my P back next to my name that way I’ll look like a proper mountain biker.

@nobeerinthefridge, what did you want me to Lie to the bloke and tell him he was certainly doomed ?
Or should I have consulted you first to clarify my response, he asked a question and I have him my response, based on my knowledge of the route. Which I found pretty rideable really and based my OWN experience on me my son and 68 year old father doing it at the same time.

Again I find myself apologising, why is that I wonder

😆

Again I find myself apologising, why is that I wonder

Perfectly doable but not to be underestimated then 🙂

And regardless of differing opinions, they’re all of interest to me.

Discobiscuits, I bow to your awesomeness… 😆

No, Tis I who bares NO P beside my name name so it’s obviously my fault for which I must apologise.’

Northwind, I also apologise to you for intentionally misunderstanding that you weren’t talking about about the World Cup DH course “Even though you said you were”

Yeah, that thing about intentionally misunderstanding again… We were talking about difficulty, not style.
World cup woods isn’t open to the public so doesn’t come into it. Unless you mean the bit after the wallride but it doesn’t sound like it.

There’s only one WC downhill course ?
If sections are closed and you didn’t do them how am I supposed to know that ? How am I intentionally misunderstanding that.

Back to the OP, my offer still stands, I could talk bollocks on here all day but if you want to meet up for a few runs down I’ll be up shortly.

discoduck – Member

Northwind, I also apologise to you for intentionally misunderstanding that you weren’t talking about about the World Cup DH course “Even though you said you were”

Isn’t it ironic that this is yet another intentional misunderstanding though? 😆

If I’m not working when you’re up then I will, thanks.

I think I know what’s going on now,thanks .

It’s a downhill XC ride (with extra gnarr) ,calling for some respect unless you like lunch through a straw at Belford 😉